Monday, October 3, 2011

October is finally here, and what better way to celebrate the days leading up to Halloween by talking about some obscure Horror and Halloween-themed comics. First up is Angry Shadows, a 1989 horror anthology series from Innovation. Angry Shadows features eight original stories, written by Steve Niles (30 Days of Night), Mark Ellis (Outlanders), Faye Perozich and more. There is also a preview of Perozich's adaption of Anne Rice's The Vampire Lestat included here as well.

The issue kicks off with "A Trip To Necropolis" by Mark Ellis, and penciled by the late, great Jim Mooney. This is a tale about regret, with a different twist...as a man cannot shake his past no matter how hard he tries. Here it is in it's entirety, and I like how the dead taunt him for his "grave" mistakes...

"The Skins You Love To Touch" is a Janet Fox story adapted by Faye Perozich and penciled by Earl Geier. Love the artwork by Geier in this one, as it reminds me of the classic pre-code horror styles of the 50's. The story is about two pickers who fall for an eerie-looking chair in a strange antique shop. Read the full story below, but don't let this one get under your skin...

Anyone with small children might think twice about hiring that next babysitter after reading "Good Baby" by Charles Marshall. Creepily penciled by Rantz Hoseley, I had a hard time reading this one as I have a four-month old daughter right now...and this story sent shivers up my spine. Yeah...I won't be hiring any babysitters for a good, long while now....read it here and see for yourself:

The other stories in Angry Shadows are "Unglued", about a man that is slowly falling apart, "Time in the Eyrie of Shatterproof Glass", about a man haunted by his deceased true love, "The Barbecue", a story about a guy getting barbecued, "The Conductor", a Steve Niles tale about a conductor and his yearn to dance with the dead, and finally "The Club", a gruesome story about a vicious bunch of murderers from one of the "victims" perspectives.

Angry Shadows carries a great 80's B-Movie vibe throughout the book, beginning with the painted cover by artist John Bolton. I just love this cover, an although there is no story that accommodates the image, it does a great job of conveying the "feeling" of the book. The introduction of the issue alluded to future Angry Shadows comics that never ended up happening, so as it stands Angry Shadows is a recommended dose of good 80's obscure horror.

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Here at Off The Beaten Panel may you feast your eyes on a humongous pile of forgotten comics of the strangest variety...

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